Our Valley Santa Clarita September/October 2016 | Page 12

Willa’s World

I

I’m a Transformer!
By Willa Robinson

n January of this year, I proclaimed
2016 is going to be the best year of
my life. If you have been following
my column, you will recall during the
first quarter of this year, my husband
and son, both were diagnosed with serious health issues, however, and joyfully,
I can say I’m still on target with my proclamation. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that my pastors, Dr. Fred L.
Hodge and Pastor Linda G. Hodge, pastors, authors, spiritual leaders, and life
coaches, ignited my proclamation. The
Hodges are the Senior Pastors of Living
Praise Christian Center in Chatsworth
and Palmdale, California. In late 2015,
Dr. Hodge started sharing with the congregation that 2016 is the year of Transformation. When 2016 came, we were
ready, and things started happening.
For more than 34 years, the Hodges
have been leading and teaching their
congregations. In 2016, the year of
transformation, they felt the need to go
beyond the pulpit and became transformational mentors. It is their belief,
and motto, “that change is good, but
the transformation is better. The word
transformation implies an essential
change of character and little or no re-

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semblance or structure. It is stronger
than your circumstances.”
About the Transformation Mentoring
Course:
On July 9, the inaugural Transformation Mentoring Course (TMC) began.
The course is an instructional, yet safe
environment to explore life challenges
and to bring resolution in an efficient
manner. The Hodges believe there is a
champion inside of everyone with untapped potential hidden, just waiting
to see the light. However, the hero
yearns for discovery and their potential
released. They help to unlock the concealed source of your power and take
you to your next level of greatness.
In the sessions, the Hodges are vulnerable and transparent. When asked why
they felt it is necessary to express authenticity and unmask with the mentees, they shared that, “People can relate to vulnerability and transparency.
They’re able to locate themselves and
identify with someone else’s challenges. It builds trust and causes empowerment.”
Each week the mentees received lifealtering information, group exercises,

handouts and laser coaching. Also,
so attendees feel they’re not alone in
this process, there is an accountability
community; support groups, including
accountability partners and collabora-

Inaugural Transformation
Mentoring Course Graduates

tors. The course will help anyone who is
ready to take their next step and who is
primed to transform their life in 30 days.
The kind of teaching and mentoring the
Hodges are doing is rather aggressive
for spiritual leaders, but not unusual
for this ambitious couple, “Because of
our society, we must go to the core of
complex problems and deal with them
head-on without excuses. We must put
the barriers down and confront the
roadblocks that have held us back for
many years.”
More than 40 attended the inaugural
course and here are a couple of testimonials:
“To say you are stretched and challenged is an understatement! During
this course, you often find yourself at
a crossroads. Courage calls out from
across the pond beckoning you to let
go of all you’ve become comfortable in.
Let go of the fear, let go of the self-sabotage, let go of self-justification and anger. You are faced with the opportunity
to let go of your past, and to step boldly
into a promising future. With each class,
your backbone is strengthened and by